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"Donald Trump, who is similarly if not more gaffe prone" The ultimate whataboutism. "Similarly"? "Gaffe prone"? Give me a break. Have you listened to Agent Orange's "speeches" recently? Streams of the rancorous, self-aggrandising consciousness of an illiterate sewer rat. These are not gaffes or verbal slips, they are the maunderings of a deranged mind.

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Keep something else in mind. What exactly is considered a "gaffe"? Trump tells plain old lies. I don't know that his gaffes are any worse than his every day public rants, not if we're talking senility.

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If the gaffes are embedded in Trump's lies, he gets a pass?

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Depends. With him, what's the difference between a gaffe and a lie?

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It's a distinction without a difference.

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He lies on purpose. Gaffes sometimes reveal the truth, though I can't think of on of his doing that.

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Interesting article about Bally's casino. I agree that the 78 would be a better location. Is anyone surprised that the tax revenue is coming in below the number stated when it was getting pushed through? I would not write-off its prospects though.

Also, it is nonsense to say that it is there to fund pensions. It contributes to the pool of public money and that pool will pay the cost of pensions. Pension deficits are a bad rationale for allowing a casino to be built. Even without deficits the city would have plenty of need for revenue. They should allow a casino if they think that is a good way to get it.

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Remember when we were told the lottery would fund education? Most people I know bought it. And when it didn't, people were convinced that shady politicians were misusing the money. It's a simple matter of math and can be figured out by anyone with a calculator. The lottery has never raised the money to fund one good sized district much less the entire state- not after payouts. It wasn't meant to. So now we have the promises of what the new casino will fund. I' have never been been convinced that taking advantage of peoples' gambling addiction is a good way to raise revenue in the first place. But even if I were a gambler, I see no point in braving Chicago conditions to find a place to do it. Revenue projections? All new casinos do is switch the locations of gamblers already doing it. Does anyone believe that there is a whole new batch of gamblers out there that have have just been itching for the chance to do it downtown? They'll simply lessen the revenue from somewhere else- assuming they bother which doesn't seem to be happening. But I'm sure Chicago politicians will find a way to spin everything and make it sound wonderful. I got news for them- Chicago ain't Vegas.

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The sole logical place for the casino was the original McCormick Place building.

But since Lightfoot was utterly incompetent, she picked this dog of a location. McCormick Place has direct Metra train service & the semi-secret busway along the train tracks.

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I'm neither surprised or upset that the Tribune didn't run the strike story. It's what many newspapers and electronic news outlets do. Oh they talk high minded, but that's about it. I once emailed the editor at the Daily Herald about doing the same. When they were carrying Feder, they edited out the last part of his column about DH layoffs. Of course I got no response which is pretty much what I expected. Or how shall I say it? "The Daily Herald didn't return emails."

This is precisely why my substack and other subscriptions run the gammut. I have a wide sampling of different writers and publications so I can get the full story because I don't want to just get one person's view of the news. I quit the Tribune last year after 45 years. Not only were they running stories that do not interest me while ignoring more pertinent news, the subscription BS was the final nail for me.

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Reading that quote from Mike Johnson. It is absolutely frightening that such a delusional motherfucker is in a position of power in our country.

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I consider myself a devout Christian. And I agree with what you say.

He seems to have twisted his theology to conform to his own needs.

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Traditionally, people who said God was talking to them were led off to a secure ward in a peaceful sanitorium.

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Thank you for posting that Conan O'Brian video.

Thank you because, once again it showed why I never watched him, he was as funny as being burned alive!

I'm guessing everyone at that table laughing hysterically at that pathetic attempt to read the bidet ad was stoned out of their minds to find that drivel funny!

Edit: I just listened to one of the John Williams speed jokes, about the elephant looking at the naked man, that was actually funny, unlike Conan O'Brian's garbage!

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I wonder if the reasons behind the Tribune’s demise is their business model. Alden’s strategy is to milk as much money as it can out of the Tribune until it is no longer a viable entity. That strategy is self fulfilling and locks in the end goal that the company will eventually go out of business.

On the other hand other papers have taken a different tack and are succeeding. WSJ has double their online subscriptions and are very profitable. Their model is to focus sharply on their target base, business executives. NYT has been successful building up their base because their strategy focuses on finding ways to appeal to their base and grow it. Upstart Axios is slowly building local online news businesses in major markets, in addition to their national news business.

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I'm sorry Garry. Conan was hilarious. Reading the bidet ad without commentary, that would be drivel.

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The Michael Jordan case was a civil lawsuit that extracted damages from Dominick’s parent. Along that same vein, I agree criminal charges may not be warranted in the Daily Northwestern case, but perhaps a civil lawsuit might find punitive damages appropriate.

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I came across your discussion of a “traditional” pre Super Bowl presidential interview? I have watched every Super Bowl beginning with Bart Starr and the Green Bay victory. Don’t remember any presidential interview.

So I did some checking and found that this “tradition” started with Obama, that Trump as well as Biden have not done an interview. So this “tradition” is based on one president giving an interview with the next two NOT giving interviews.

This does not qualify as a “tradition” in any sense of the word and is just another example of the media throwing out spin.

The goofy Puppy Bowl has a bigger claim to Super Bowl “tradition” than this presidential interview.

Give me a break!

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Interesting article in the Thursday Trib. I have no problem with a mother sending her kid to a Catholic school. I graduated from a Catholic high school. Hypocrisy bothers me. Conservatives are blasting Biden right now for pandemic giveaways causing inflation. Did they? What do they think the Invest in Kids program was? Also, I admit to not taking out a calculator and working out the specifics. But I wonder how much money would be available for funding Catholic schools if it wasn't being used to pay off lawsuits against sexually perverted priests?

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The Mike Johnson quote: Jaw-dropping and scary. Then I try to comfort myself that Reagan used to talk in such terms also, and did not actually end up starting a nuclear war for religious reasons. But still. Scary.

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I was listening to Conan’s podcast while driving and the bidet ad came on. I almost had to pull off the road.

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*So, how many Jujubes did Barbie get? Am kinda sad it's not getting much recognition despite it's fluffiness compared to other more powerful topic films like Opp and KOFM

*Harmony" to Car song...hmmm a personal message to me and thought it was generous for her to share the stage with current singer

*Macy's, so sad

*so over meaningless resolutions

*Interesting meaningless media terms great including comments and kudos Eric and you used one today

*Biden-just fucking say Yes!! What is he mostly so silent these daze! I know I know the gaffs but speak your and Democratic truths and hit home the message that he and Dems have done some great things for us citizens vs non governance by the Radical GOP-gaslighting us at every turn.

*Go Cubs Go

*Bidet*-LMFAO

*Thank you for the Prine tune I've never heard! and the fun Valentine tweets

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The bidet commercial brought to my mind the discussion of cleaning oneself after a bowel movement by Jack Kerouac in Big Sur. Rubbing one’s skin with dry paper is a singularly ineffective way to clean one’s skin. We don’t wash our hands by rubbing them with paper. It is rather bizarre that bidets are not more common.

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Problems with bidets are a lack of space in bathrooms & the lack of always available hot water.

Modern bidet seats have a heater for the water, as the old buildings in France had either a recirculating hot water system or enough use of it to make sure everyone had hot water all the time.

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It makes no sense. South Park, which is where I get most of my news, has exposed the conspiracy which explains it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9TptOLPqC0

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I have an excellent internal compass. But the Macy's on State is the one place where I always get lost and never know where anything is, or where I'm going.

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The charge against the NU students was perfectly legitimate. I think that you described the situation correctly, but the charge was a misdemeanor. It may have deserved a light sentence, like fine or community service, but there is no reason to simply drop it. If I stuffed advertising fliers, or my own newspaper, into the distribution boxes or into editions of a paper without their approval and payment I would certainly be charged, and it wouldn't be shrugged off. And these aren't errant children. They are adults of presumably high intellect. They certainly knew what they were doing.

Finally, I heard an NU prof on TV say - 'it was just civil disobedience and shouldn't be criminalized'. Duh, civil disobedience means breaking the law and part of the moral authority is acceptance of the legal consequences.

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The main issue here is the relationship between University officials and local authorities. Colleges usually insist on handling student legal matters internally, with penalties given accordingly, but this case somehow got referred to cops and it happened to involve students of color, who statistically receive an unfair amount of punitive scrutiny in schools. I’m glad to see that shining some light on the issue caused the charges to be dropped and an investigation into why the case ended up with prosecutors in the first place.

The Jordan/Dominick’s lawsuit comparison is a stretch to say the least. Dominick’s, a for-profit business, was punished for trying to make a buck off of Jordan’s globally valuable image. Comparing that violation to the NU students’ attempts simply to protest school policy is not helpful. Campus protest that causes no harm to anyone outside of the school should not cause students to fear being sent through the state criminal system, where permanent harm is likely.

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